Taking two young children abroad for a five-day business trip where their parents will not be spending much time with them during the day is the definition of unnecessary IMO.

Interesting to see if we end up with any pap shots of the children out and about with the nannies.

When William and Kate are carrying out engagements in the UK, they (like the rest of the working, child rearing public!) are not around during the day. But are present during some aspect of the day. This is not a long journey visit or an overly long one event wise. Why shouldn't George and Charlotte come along? They get a holiday along with nanny and Mum and Dad are around too. I can't see the issue. There would possibly or even probaly be a bigger squawk if they were left behind!

Prince George and Princess Charlotte will join their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on their tour of Germany and Poland, Kensington Palace has said.

The Duke and Duchess will travel with their young son and daughter during their five-day trip, which begins on July 17 in Poland's capital Warsaw and ends in the German city of Hamburg on July 21.

The tour has been described as a Brexit charm offensive, and follows the Duke and Duchess' trip to Paris and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visiting Romania, Italy and Austria earlier this year.

Actually, I think its a good idea taking the kids with them on this trip even if the times they spend together while touring is only at night or such. Will and Kate are stepping up their game with their royal duties and the best way for little kids to learn something is by experience. This is what mommy and daddy do and they get an idea of what mommy and daddy are up to when the times come and Will and Kate go somewhere and the kids remain at home with Nanny Maria. Especially when school is in session.

Its all fitting family into their royal duties rather than finding time for family between royal duties. At least that's how I see it.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's latest European tour has been hailed as "historic" and a chance to "accelerate" the UK's relationships with two important EU countries involved in the Brexit process.

The royal couple begin a trip to Poland and Germany on Monday.

Sky News has spoken to the two key diplomats who will guide the royal couple through their week-long trip; Sir Sebastian Wood, the British ambassador to Germany, and Jonathan Knott, Britain's man in Poland.

The visit comes as the next round of Brexit negotiations get underway in Brussels.

"Historic"? Just some visits by a grandson of the Queen, a son of the Prince of Wales. Why is everything magnified these days? Historic. Iconic. Come on...

Truth is that the couple will have zero effect on the Brexit talks. The 27 EU memberstates are waiting, and waiting, and waiting on a coherent outline of what the British Government actually wants and the route to achieve those goals.

The Duke and Duchess will be greeted with politesse and diplomatic smiles. In the meantime the diplomats working for Merkel and Macron are sharpening their strategy to increase the pressure on the UK to deliver.

I am a royalist, I think William and Catherine are charming people but really, let us keep a bit with both feet on the ground. It is a handshake and a nice photo opportunity, that is the utmost "influence" the couple will have. And rightly so.

"Historic"? Just some visits by a grandson of the Queen, a son of the Prince of Wales. Why is everything magnified these days? Historic. Iconic. Come on...

As to "historic" we will not know until some analysis after the Brexit deal is done. But "charm" is an essential skill in diplomacy and diplomacy it the tool in Brexit negotiations. Somewhere out there, someone is building an algorithm to predict the impact of various royal visits on political climates.

It will be years before we can guess at the influence of the royals on the eventual Brexit deal. One thing is sure, however Brexit turns out; the UK needs to have solid relationships with European nations, 1, 5 and 10 years out. Not that royals make policy - but they build emotional bridges. Establishing how Europeans see the future with the UK begins with every tour the Cambridges make.

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"And the tabloid press will be a pain in the ass, as usual." - Royal Norway

"Historic"? Just some visits by a grandson of the Queen, a son of the Prince of Wales. Why is everything magnified these days? Historic. Iconic. Come on.

I don't think the visit will be historic or iconic but I also think it's disingenuous to describe William as the grandson of the Queen and son of the Prince of Wales to downplay the importance of the visit. Ask non British people what they think of when they think of the UK. I would bet money the majority of them would say "the Queen" or "William and Kate." According to protocol William and Kate aren't at the top of the pecking order but according to, you know, reality, globally they along with QEII are by far the best known royals, (from any country), as well as being two of the best known people in the world, full stop. And they're only going to become better known and more prominent as time goes on.

So while this isn't going to be a Kennedy in Berlin kind of visit, the U.K. is sending their A team to Germany and Poland and the people who matter there realize it and will take note.

The thing is, it is not just 'a visit by the grandson of The Queen and the son of the Prince of Wales'. This is a visit by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who alongside the Queen, are the most well-known royals in the world. People around the globe know who they are and media and news outlets pay attention to their visits.

The British royals aren't similar to other European royals. They are on an international stage when it comes to publicity and prominence. Though William is just second-in-line, media outlets are more interested in his visits than a visit done by a first-in-line ( and even Monarchs ) from other Monarchies. The media coverage of visits done by Victoria, Frederik etc are not even on par with William's, and mostly goes unnoticed by the international media and common folks from other countries.